China
80 Power Distance
20 Individualism
China has a power distance of 80. That number will come as no shock to most. “Power Distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organizations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally (Hofstead, 2016). Chinese citizens have historically accepted the power structure, and respect the decisions made by them. They have traditionally accepted their role in this hierarchy and carried out their lives seemingly unbothered by their plot in life. Eighty is a very high score in power distance compared to the rest of the world and signals that Chinese citizens trust their leadership and that people should not aspire to be above their own rank.
China’s individualism score is very low. This means that they care less about themselves and more about the culture collectively. These ideas coincide with a high power distance score. It can be argued that a high power distance score will result in a low individualism score. The individualism score can be described by how the citizens of the country view themselves. If they focus on themselves they are and “I” country with a high individualism score and if they focus on groups, they are a “we” country, and have a low individual score.
Even though China has always had a low individualism score, lately there has been a shift in ideas. Generation Y, those born in the 1980s and 90s, is branching out of the traditional thought process. They are becoming more concerned with themselves, their own careers and their own aspirations. They are not as complacent in their rank in society and are striving to grow and change in ways that is not the cultural norm for China. A recent Gallup pole revealed that 30 percent of Generation Y in China want to work for themselves, or the government( Arora, 2005). This is a very different goal than the traditional, staying in rank that has been the cultural norm for so long. This begs an interesting question. What does this mean for the power distance score and the individual score? Will those numbers begin to shift and the gap between the two lessen?
Right now, it is just one generation of more progressive, individualized thinkers in the Chinese work force. But with every passing year and generation this trend is likely to grow. Companies have already adapted their marketing strategies to more self-aware generation of buyers. Business have also adopted to human resource initiatives to appeal to this generations needs and goals(Arora, 2005). China’s Generation Y is gaining steam and forging a path for future generations. It will be interesting to see how their new ideas on personal growth will change the dimensions of Chinese culture.
Arora, R. (2005, April 19). China’s Gen “Y” Bucks Tradition. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/15934/chinas-gen-bucks-tradition.aspx.
Hofstede, G. (2016, October 25). China. Retrieved from https://geert-hofstede.com/china.html